What is BBC Voices?

The BBC Voices project provided a snapshot of the linguistic landscape of the UK at the start of the 21st century by encouraging members of the public to contribute their words and reflect on the language they use and encounter in their daily lives.


What are examples of accents?

For example, “coffee” is pronounced like "caw-fee" and “talk” as “tawk.” Another thing you might notice is that New Yorkers pronounce words beginning with 're' with a soft 'ra'. For example, “regardless” would be pronounced “ra-gardless” and “return” as “ra-turn.”

Which American accent is closest to British?

While the accent of the American South might be difficult to comprehend for many students of the English language, its original form was actually much closer to British English, albeit with a playful inflection.


What accent is the nicest?

British: In all, 57% of survey respondents said that those who speak with a British accent sound smarter, which is far more than any other accent—indeed, nearly twice as many as the second most-named choice. French: Among respondents, 29% said that those who speak with a French accent sound smarter.

What is the BBC accent called?

Variously referred to as the 'Queen's English', 'BBC English' or 'Oxford English', Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the accent usually described as typically British. Find out more about its origins and its current status in the UK.


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What accent does the royal family have?

The Queen's English is also often called BBC English. It is the standard English which most non-native English speakers associate with people from the UK. It includes Received Pronunciation – the “posh” accent that the Queen uses – as well as grammatically correct utterances free of slang.

Is BBC English or American?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom, based at Broadcasting House in London.

What does BBC stand for?

British Broadcasting Corporation. ◊ The BBC is a radio and television company that is owned by the British government. ASK THE EDITOR.


What is BBC in USA?

BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary series).

Can you get BBC in USA?

BBC Select is a BBC streaming service available to stream on Amazon Prime Video Channels, the Apple TV app or The Roku Channel. You can try BBC Select for free for 7 days. After the free trial, the subscription price is just $4.99 per month.

Which English accent is the purest?

Some people believe that RP (Received Pronunciation) is the most standard or general accent in British English. Many EFL (English as a Foreign Language) schools teach it because it is supposed to be the most “polished” pronunciation. It is typically referred to as “Queen's English” or “BBC English”.


Which US president had a British accent?

Scholars say the answer is the first three US Presidents: George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. These three all had British accents. Also, add to the list Ben Franklin — yes, he also had a British accent.

What is the most sophisticated British accent?

Yorkshire has been crowned as the most trustworthy accent in the UK, with a new study finding it to be 'intelligent' and 'calming'. The research, which was commissioned by OnBuy.com, asked 2,221 people to listen to 15 British accents and say which they would be more likely to trust in job interviews.

Why do they call it BBC?

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), publicly financed broadcasting system in Great Britain, operating under royal charter. It held a monopoly on television in Great Britain from its introduction until 1954 and on radio until 1972.


What accent does Emma Watson have?

Emma Watson speaks RP - RP is a southern English accent. She was brought up in Oxfordshire, and many people around Oxford speak a version of RP (if not, if they are closer to the farming community, they may have an accent almost tending towards West Country with more pronounced 'r's).

Why is it called mother tongue BBC?

In this metaphor, language is seen as coming from your primary caregiver, the person who looked after you most when you were young, and traditionally this was mothers. So, this is perhaps the point of origin, the starting place,of the metaphorical phrase, mother tongue.

Which celebrity has the best British accent?

Meryl Streep is universally hailed as one of the best actresses who has ever lived. So it will come as no surprise that among her many talents is her excellent British accent, even though she was born in New Jersey.


When did us lose British accent?

Most scholars have roughly located “split off” point between American and British English as the mid-18th-Century. There are some clear exceptions.

Why did Americans stop speaking with a British accent?

The first is isolation; early colonists had only sporadic contact with the mother country. The second is exposure to other languages, and the colonists came into contact with Native American languages, mariners' Indian English pidgin and other settlers, who spoke Dutch, Swedish, French and Spanish.

What is the least attractive English accent?

The Birmingham accent is considered the least attractive accent in the British Isles – and Southern Irish the most appealing. A quick analysis of English dialects shows that there are roughly as many in the British Isles as there are in the whole of North America – including Canada, Bermuda and Native American dialects ...


Which accent is hardest to imitate?

The British Accent

The Great British accent proved to be the most difficult of all the accents to imitate – along with the regional Yorkshire and Cockney pronunciations, in particular.

How can I listen to BBC Sounds in the US?

You can use BBC Sounds by visiting www.bbc.com/sounds or by installing the BBC Sounds app. The BBC Sounds app is available on devices running Amazon Fire 5, Android 5 or iOS 11.3 and above.

Is the BBC channel on Amazon Prime?

Anyone with access to Amazon Prime Video Channels, the Apple TV and The Roku Channel in the US can watch BBC Select. For information on how to sign up for the channel, visit the 'Where to Watch' page.